Door-latch.



E. L. BoWBs.

DOOR LATCH.

APVPLIOATION FILED DEG.11,1908.

Patented oem, 1909.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEETcE.

EDWARD L. Bowne, or srt Lon-1s, MISSOURI.

To all whom i may concern:-

it known that I, EDWARD L. Bowes, a citizen of the United States, and resident of St. Louis, Missouri, have invented certain new and useful .Improvements in Door- In certain types of pay-as-you-enter lcarsit is essential that an entrance door .be pro'- vided which can be readily swung inward to allow the entrance of passengers, and which door is normally held against swinging outward until considerable pressure is applied to the inside of the' door, and it is the object 'of my invention to provide aA simple, inexpensive latch which is seated in the door post against which the free edge of the door swings, 'and which latch normally holds the door in a closed osition and permits said door to be opened inward with a slight pressure and to open outward with compara-` tively greater pre'ssurcfrom the inside.

To the above purposes, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in the claims, and illustratedin the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a horizontal section taken through a portion of a street car of the payas-you-enter ty e, and showing the entrance door held in a c oscd position by my improved latch; Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line 2 2 ot' Fig. 1; and Fig. :l is a horizontal section taken ou thel lin 3 3 of Fig.- 2.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings: 1 designates the corner post of the car body, and hinged thereto so as to swing open in both directions in the entrance door 2, the free edge of which closes against a post 3 located at the end of the car body, and seated in the free edge of the door 2 is a metal block 4, provided with an integral tongue 5. flFormed in the post 3 in horizontal alineinent with this block 4 is a pocket 6, in which is positioned a latch housing 7, approximately rectangular in form, and arv 'specification gf Letters meent. Application le. December 11, 1908. Serial No. 467,111.

DGQR-LATCH..

Patented Oct. 5, 2:1969.

ranged to swing in a horizontal plane on a vertically disposed pivot pin 8 seated in the forward end of the housing 7, is a latch plate 9, the forward portion of which pro-l jects beyond the face of the housing 7, and said projecting forward portion being provided Witl the curved bearing faces 10 he-- ltween which is formed a notch 11, of such size as to readily receive the tongue 5.

The rear side 12 of the latch plate 9 is perfectly straight, and bearing thereagainst are the forward ends of a pair of horizontally disposed pins 13 and 13, which are arranged to slide freely through the'block 14 arranged wit-hin the housing 7, and the rear portions of these pins are reduced in. diameter relative to the forward portions thereof,` and said reduced rear portions are arranged to slide through sleeves 15, which are adv justably arranged in the rear end wall of the housing 7 .Located on the reduced portions of these pins 13 and 13v and bearing against the forward ends of the sleeves 15 are washers 16, and positioned on the pin 13 and interposed between thev washer thereon and the shoulder between the large and small portions of said pin is a light expansive coil spring 17, and ositioned on the correspond- Y ing portion of t e opposite pin 13EL is a heavy ex ansive coil sprin 18.

Vhen a door latci of my improved construction is applied for use, the parts occupy the positions as seen in ,Figs and 3, and the latch' plate 9 is held with the notch 11 occupying a central position, said notch being occupied by the tongue 5. P ssengers release the free edge thereof from the latch and to swing said door inward to an open position. W hen the door 2 automatically returns to a closed position, the tongue 5 will bear against the corresponding portion of -the curved face 10 on the projecting portion of the latch plate 9, and this end of the latch plate will be forced inward to permit the tongue 5 to pass the shoulder between the curved face and the notch 11, and as soon as will return to its normal position by reaso n of Ithe'` pressure exerted by the spring 11. The heavy spring 18 normally holds the latch plate 9 against swinging into such position'as to permit the tongue 5 to disengage from the notch 11 to permit the 'door to swing outward into an ,open position, but should it be found necessary to swing said door outward int-o an open position, a heavy pressure applied to the inside of the door will cause the latch plate 9 to swing horizontally upon its pivot pin in such a manner as to force the pin 13a rearward against the pressure exerted bythe heavy coil spring 18, and thus the door can be swung outward to permit the exit of passengers.

A door latch of my improved construction is very simple, is automatic in its action and is particularly adapted for the entrance doors of pay-as-you-enter cars, which entrance doors are designed to open inward with slight pressure, and to -open outward when subjected to comparativelyl great pressure.

I claim: I .1. The .herein described door latch, comprisinga housing, a vlatch plate pivotally arranged in the housing and adapted lto en-'- gage the door, and a pair ofspring pressed members bearing against the rear side of the latch plate.

2. 'lhe herein described door latch prisin a housing, a latch plate vpivotally arrange in the housing and adapted to engage the door, a pair of spring ressed members bearing agamst the rear si e of the latch com- 1 members being of different tension.

3. The hereindescribed door latch, comprising a housing, a latch plate pivotally mounted therein, and adapted to engage the edge of a door, a pair of pins bearing against the rear side of the latch, springs arranged on, said pins, which springs are of different tension, and adjustable means whereby the tension of the springs is regulated.

4. The combination with a door post and door, of a housing positioned in the door post, a latch plate pivotally 'mounted in the housing, in which latch plate is formed a notch, spring pressed members engaging against the latch plate, a block carried by the door, and a'tongue integral with said block, which tongue engages 1n the notch in the latch plate. y

5. A 'door latch of the class described, comprising a housing,.a latch plate pivotally mounted therein, in which latch plate vis formed a notch, a pair of pins arranged to slide in the housing and bearing against the rear side of the latch late, springs arranged 'on said pins, whic springs are of different tension, means whereby the tension of said springsisadjusted, and a tongue carried by the door and adapted to normally engage in the notch'of the latchplate.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

- A EDWARD L. BOWES.v

Witnesses: h

A. M. BAIRD, -F W. SMITH.

lthe tongue occupies said notch the latch plate l plate, and the springs on said spring pressed 

